Microsoft unveils Windows Phone 7.8 update for current hardware

The question of what Microsoft would do for those current Windows Phone users who have generation 1 and generation 1.5 devices like the HTC Titan or the highly popular Nokia Lumia 900 for Windows Phone 8 has finally been answered.

Windows Phone 8’s main features involve new hardware like multi-core processors, NFC and higher resolution displays. Phones like the Lumia 900 cannot take advantage of these new features but Windows Phone 8 also brings additional changes to the Start screen which current users can take advantage of.

In able to ensure that current customers have the best and latest from Microsoft, the company is officially offering Windows Phone 7.8 as an OS upgrade. Windows Phone 7.8 will still be based on the CE kernel and won’t enable advanced Windows Phone 8 features like app and games that use native programming, but it will give current users the new Start screen and appearance of Windows Phone 8.

The new Start screen in Windows Phone 8 has three new elements, including

Removal of the “gutter” aka “the gap” known as the off-centered space to the right of the Start screen. The gutter was a carry-over from the Zune days but now Tiles will be evenly distributed on the Start screen

New tile colors – yes, while the 10 + 1 model of Accent colors for Windows Phone carried us for nearly two years, Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 7.8 will offer a wider selection of colors

Although not being able to directly upgrade to the new NT kernel of Windows Phone 8 may be a bit of a letdown for current users, the Windows Phone 7.8 upgrade should offer new Windows Phone users nearly the same experience considering their lack of advanced hardware.

Update: Nokia just announced Play To DLNA support, Counters for data information, Nokia Music 3.0 and Camera Extras for all current Lumia phones

Do you think it’s a fair compromise and are you satisfied? Let us know in comments.

Reader comments

Microsoft unveils Windows Phone 7.8 update for current hardware

Personally I use HD7 and don't feel upset about not getting WP8 update. But it definitely hurts Lumia users and Windows Phone's future sale.
It will stop Windows Phone's momentum from now on, and MSFT has to build up the momentum again for WP8 in a more unfriendly market. Furthermore, current users will distrust MSFT with regard to WP's update path. How many people who purchase WP7.5 devices recently with 2-yr contract will believe they won't be screwed again when WP9 is released and happily buy WP8 devices?

I do feel sorry for people that have only just bought their Windows Phone 7.... This is a hard blow for people that have only had their phone for a few months and have a two year contract.
I do hope Microsoft ensure that the apps dont dry up for the Windows Phone 7.
Still... ensuring there is an update for phone so thats is really good. It means many people can ride out . I am exciting for the update.
These Windows 8 Phone are still a fair way off. Nokia have wroked hard to bring more to the phone and I am sure they will continue to support WP7 for some time.
Good to know the future will be stable on Windows Phone 8. No fragmentation on Windows Phone 8 :P

The caveat is apps developed specifically for WP8 won't run on WP7.8. I bet unless it really needs to leverage the new hardware, most of the apps will be made to be compatible with WP7.8. This shouldn't be as big an issue as we're making it right now.

I know how you feel. I was upset too when Apple told me that my iPhone 3G couldn't support voice control or record video with iOS 3.0. That's why I'm a WP7 user now actually. Unfortunately, I've come to the realization that this is the new normal when it comes to technology. Shelf lives of phones and tablets are going to eventually shrink from years to months. And it's probably only going to get worse as the market gets more competitive. Probably means that the carrier industry needs to rethink the subsidization model as well.

So The Nokia Comercials were right... The SmartPhone Beta test is over... Anyone who uses a Windows Phone 7.5 Device was just beta testing for Windows Phone 8...!!!
I was planning on getting a WP8 Device anyways....

Any tech blog/site should revise their reviews of current WP7 devices and caution consumers to not buy them. While its silly for poeple like original Samsung Galaxy Tab owners to cry about not getting ICS, it isn't unreasonable for people to expect their newly launched device to work with a 6 month software update. Microsoft just created an ecosystem that leaves current WP7 users out (Sorry leaves them with a new Launcher). So most of the marketshare gained by new WP7 users can be potentionally lost when their phone contract is up. I don't know who this is worse for, new lumia 900/ Titan II buyers or Microsoft.
If one doesn't buy a Windows 8 tablet or computer before their phone contract is up, what is holding them back from switching platforms? For the record, I own a Lumia 900 that I purchased from ebay, and am due for a phone upgrade through my carrier in January.

I, being a gen 1 Focus owner, think this is a good compromise because there are certain things that are just not possible with older gen hardware. However, I can also understand the frustration from the Lumia and other newer gen owners because only a few months into owning the product, they now have a device that cannot fully upgrade to WP8. I think most of the frustration will be resolved if they manage to offer natively written apps in a format that's compatible with current phones. I truly feel this would appease the masses.

It's just fair enough, the company has to move forward Os wise, hardware wise and resolution wise. We too just have to upgrade either now or sometimes in future.
Overall, I am impressed with what Microsoft is doing lately.

Slap in the balls really, cheers for the 7.8 offer how about ram it and give me WP8 can't believe my brand spanking new Lumia is already classed as a legacy device. But hell im stuck with this on contract. So might as well get on with it. Anyway how about a mobile version of surface device?

I am excited about WP again, finally. I think giving us 7.8 for current devices is a good enough way of killing off WP7 devices, and most likely they won't have to do this again since this new architecture is more modern and flexible and should hopefully lead to an upgrade system more similar to Apple's for the iPhone.
I will be happy to upgrade my HTC Radar to 7.8 and live on that for a while until a really nice WP8 phone is available - one I'll be happy with for a year or two.

U mean I am stock in a 2yr contract and not be able to upgrade and take advantage. I am really pissed at MS. They are just being greedy. Knowing that the phones would need dual core it should have been installed long before

It's fair enough. I think people buying 1.5 phones should get a major discount or ability to upgrade for free though. I'd be pissed if I'm a 900 buyer knowing that in 3 or so months, it's that badly dated. Will be waiting for a full on WP8 device for sure.

Really? You're complaining that your HD7 which isn't even made by HTC anymore is not getting brand new hardware features and software? Your phone is far from useless and there's no way you can have an HD7 without being pretty close to an upgrade because the phone has been on life support for awhile now.

Boohoo you've only got 2 years of enjoyment out of it, and it will continue to work for years to come. It may not get all the awesomeness of WP8, but it will still work as a phone, still connect to the internet and still have 100,000+ apps available to it.

I'm very okay with it. It sounds like they're doing everything they possibly can without ruining the phone, which is a lot more than I can say about Apple and Android.
I had an Android Galaxy S that started with Eclair. It ran fine. They threw it an upgrade to Froyo, that slowed it down considerably and made the OS more unstable. They threw an upgrade to Gingerbread, and it essentially killed the device, only 20 months after I had it.
To be honest, I never expected them to throw an OS designed for better hardware onto older phones. They want Everyone's experience to be great, and MS just seems to KNOW better than that. I would much rather prefer this than Apple's "latest upgrade now says your phone is 4G, when it still has a 3G radio installed and we don't offer a 4G phone yet" shenanigans.
In this day and age, as I've learned from experience, never expect and be very wary of upgrades. If your phone isn't desgined for it, it may behoove you to stick with your current version. If they offer an upgrade that works perfectly with your phone, well thats just a bonus, not an expectation.
MS - Please don't have this update mess with how slick my 900 is. I really enjoy it and don't want to see it messed up.

Think the biggest problem for current owners is missing out on more app support, especially those that can run in background. I don't see why Microsoft can't invest a little more and put the kernel on existing devices even if we can't take advantage of multicore and NFC at least we could have the same apps, or at least some of the apps; like what they did with Tango. It is really annoying to think that next year WP8 users may have popular apps like Instagram while WP7.8 users can't even run it because of the kernel and what that brings over. That's what bugs me the most. I think Microsoft should seriously think it through and at least offer 50$ credit or something to recent purchasers. I think with this news out there were going to see a drop of app support and also sales. Who in their right mind would offer a WP7.5 device now when WP8 is around the corner, definitely no sales associate would advocate that. The 7.8 update is nice, buy it just isn't the right solution.

Windowsphone has to move on fast & this is what's happening now. They can't wait until new customers contracts run out before moving forward. That would just not make sense in the dog eat dog mobility world. For those of you who bought the Lumia, why didn't you do as I did & patiently await WP8 & the new devices that will come with it. I know Lumia owners will be pissed but don't say you are not being catered for. I too would have liked a Lumia but it was too big a gamble. It appears now my patience has been rewarded. Bring on WP8!

Honestly, I didn't wait as I simply couldn't stand my horribly broken (and not rooted) Android. Too many updates killed the device and I couldn't take it anymore. However, I rarely get new apps for my phone now anyway and I'm not a bandwagon app guy, so I really don't mind.
I'm very happy with my Lumia 900 purchase, and still will be when this finally releases. By the time I'm able to upgrade to 8, It'll have all the kinks worked out and most likely be a second or third gen 8 phone, possibly up to 9. I agree with their decision to move forward, I think it's a great move to have Win 8, Xbox Smartglass, and Win Phone 8 all coming around the same time (right in time for the holidays, no less), and am happy they are still going to throw current Win Phone customer a bone. I just hope this bone doesn't ruin our phones either. :)

Hey Nokia!!!! How is this different from Symbian??? Ecosystem with no apps in the future. If i lived in Espoo I'd be throwing my lumia to Nokia Headquarters. Don't buy lumia should be trending topic. No matter what everybody says I feel deeply betrayed and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

"majority of the apps" Should I feel o.k. with majority with a brand new phone? And don't tell me I'm an idiot because I didn't wait, here in Europe when your contract is over it's over and you get a new phone (at least in spain), Ooops did I say a new phone, I meant a "legacy" phone. Yes I'm pissed and hope nokia goes bankruptcy. To be honest, all I wanted is a decent whatsapp, skype, IM+ or any other instant messagin' experience and with no native support I'm not gonna get it. If I was ugly and with no GF, I'd be cryin'. It's symbian all over again.

I'm ok with it. It used to be you had to buy a whole new phone to get any new features. Upgradable phones are a fairly recent phenomena. Plus, my current HTC Trophy does everything I need it to right now. Waiting another year to upgrade to a Windows 8 phone just doesn't bother me. I have a great phone right now that will get me though the wait.

I have no problem with not having 8 if 7.8 looks the same and the vast majority of apps will work. I might miss out on the latest and greatest games but that is progress. The .net apps will work just fine so I'm happy.

It's a very big task running two different versions so hats off to MS for the update but I suppose it is what they are very good at. The appeal of a shared kernal between tablets, pcs and phones is very appealing!

How can any WP7 user recommend their Lumia to any user (other than to try sell it on),
Nokia and MS have wasted a ton of advertising money on the Lumia range, I wonder if it was to shift a warehouse full of shite legacy handsets that no-one will want to buy as the support will stop when WP8 comes out

For me, i didnt recommend the phone to my friends. I told them to wait for wp8.
No need to recommend a phone that i know may not get fully supported with an upgrade, i'd be lying to them. I like my lumia and that is good enough for me. My friends asked about my phone and was consdiering getting one. I said if you want, but i told them to wait.

Easy. The Lumia 900 is still a great phone. Win 8 may be better, but that doesn't diminish my excellent experience. At this point, I'd probably say to hold off as long as they can for 8, but if they must upgrade NOW due to a broken phone or what have you, I still would pick my Lumia 900 over Android or iOS.

No. Just no.
Nokia/MS are building a brand. They have gotten nothing but good press from the Lumia line. If you think a new Lumia that runs WP8 won't be there at launch you are crazy.
It's just like Verizon did with the Droid line. Do you think they tell customers when they walk in the store that a new phone in the Droid line is only 3-6 months away? No, they don't.
Even iphones keep selling after the yearly announcement of a new hardware revision. Why? Because people always need phones and may not be able to wait for a certain time frame, or they don't keep up with tech news (Which is most people).

So, what's better? Being offered an update that is numbered slightly different from the next big upgrade (WP7.8) or being offered an updated titled WP8 that doesn't get you all the 'goodies' of WP8? Basically one route is what Microsoft is doing, the other is what Apple does (if I'm understanding their update philosophy).

I prefer being given AN update for my almost 2 year old Focus, that doesn't tout itself to be 'all' of what WP8 does, as opposed to being given a WP8 'update' with a bunch of asterisks of what my phone cannot do.

Why? Did the specs of the L900 promise multicore support or higher resolution support or the ability to change kernels? I don't think so.
Hardware upgrades come with new capabilities. I think people were expecting too much from their current devices which were never mentioned or promised.
Nokia has been "johnny on the spot" in addressing problems with their current devices by acknowledging the concerns of the user and issuing fixes for them as soon as they were able. How many iOS or Android users can claim that?
My significant other is still waiting for ICS for their Galaxy Note and Xoom tablet. Even after writing Google a number of times.
This compromise is suitable for me right now until I'm able to upgrade to a newer device. And depending on what other features I'll receive OTA, I may hold off altogether.
It's not like you all have buyer's remorse because none of the older models are receiving any type of update. Let's just wait to see what the update brings before issuing condemnations for MS & Nokia.

When I broke my contract ($180). I switch from Sprint (HTC Arrive) to AT&T for the Lumia. I knew then I would get a WP8. I'll just wait for what ever Nokia comes out with. It will probably come after Christmas anyway. Shot...I wasted more money on stuff that I can't show. At least this something I will carry around everyday.

This is a fine compromise. A large part of the commenters on this thread and over at The Verge need to stop their whinning. Did you really expect to get full WP8 when they are making massive HARDWARE changes? we will get the software changes for the most part, which is better then nothing at ALL, which is exactly what most android phones get.
I don't hear all the bitching and whinning going on with android when they release a phone, that is outdated in a few months when a OS upgrade comes out that they won't get.

Kind of a drag to not get new apps when devs start using the new SDK, but I install a new app on average once every few weeks. This is a much better solution than what Palm/HP did to original Pre owners. In that situation, the company went public saying that all legacy devices would get the next OS version. A few months later, they reversed and said there would be no upgrade path for legacy devices. They really screwed a lot of people and they knew it, which is why they tried to "make it right" by offering a $50 credit on the TouchPad.

I think most people know full well that when they buy a phone there's a good chance it will lose support at some point. Look at Android for an example. Most users are still on an operating system that is 2 versions old. There is now talk about version 5 being released while version 4 is only available to a few handsets. I'll gladly take this scenario over waiting a year for an update only to hear that the OEM or carrier won't push the update. As long as Nokia keeps improving the firmware for the 900, I'll be happy.

Lumia 900 owner as well and pretty disappointed. Seeing the multitasking feature now and knowing that there's no native code support in this partial upgrade makes me think that this is a pretty limited upgrade. Even their casual game from Big Fish seemed to require the new code support so what does that say about existing users?
I completely understand not being able to support the hardware dependent features, but losing the things that are really software dependent hurts quite a bit. Definitely will hold off on upgrading my wife's phone as she'll love some of those new features. For me, my next phone will likely be bought at full price because MS isn't quite giving us everything we need for existing customers.
I do appreciate that the update will supposedly be pushed in a way that bypasses the carriers, though. That's a nice touch.

I can see why this has come about, after all current windows phones dont have the hardware thats needed for Windows Phne 8 many new features. Its ok for many early adopters, but not good for people in the last 6 months have purchased a new Lumia device for example...Though the OS will get upgraded and look and feel like Windows 8, you will soon find that you are not getting the apps that will become more available, nor VOIP stuff....

i think it's fair. I understand that new technology that works with new hardware is not going to completely work for my phone. The hardware is not there, but I'm glad quite a bit of features including the new start screen will be part of older phones.
Most people are stuck with contracts but I'm pretty sure deals will rise.
I'm actually very excited about windows 8 now. Time to start saving.

Yes, it is a burning platform now.
And what's worse it's not only bout new apps but also about updates for existing apps.
Because lets face it: Most developers will port their existing WP7 apps to WP8 RT framework which is inompatible with WP7's silverlight framework but works on WP8 as well as WindowsRT 8 and Windows 8. So porting to RT framework makes lots of sense for developers. And then the developers basically have to maintain two different platforms for updates: silverlight and RT. And silverlight only has about 2% marketshare but RT is the future.
So I'm pretty sure that after maybe 6 months developers will just quit supporting also the silverlight framework with updates as this is a lot of more work but generates very little income compared to the RT framework.
So future updates for poular apps (like WhatsApp for example) will only appear for WP8.

I'm ready for a bit of a conspiracy since I love them...WP8 gets a ton of press in the next few days with the caveat that current phones can't upgrade but will get 7.8. In a week or so Nokia announces that the upgrade will work (just not NFC) with the 900 giving their sales a shot in the arm. Now if I only had a magic bullet...

If only that turns out to be the case.... Would definitly make Lumia owners a bit happier and I could totally do without NFC support right now. I can deal with missing the hardware security for wallet, too. Wait and see for several months down the road, I guess. :(

It's exaclty what I expected. I wanted to buy an unlocked cyan Lumia 900 to run on Bell knowing that it would likely not get the full WP8 but I was not able to get one. I guess I'll wait for WP8 now but I still wouldn't rule out buying an unlocked Lumia 900 in cyan to do me becuase that is how much I want to move on from my HD7.

I have a Lumia 900, and I think this approach is fair by Microsoft. So im not upset, but will be selling my phone for an Apollo device. Cheer up guys. This was the only way! At least they acknowledged us. They didn't have to do anything.

This is not technically correct. WP7 apps written in Silverlight/XNA will also run on WP8. Apps written for WP8 are written in WinRT/DirectX, which won't run on WP7.8. While it's true that developers can target Silverlight/XNA when they write new apps, chances are they will target WinRT instead to get a common code base between Win8 and WP8. New apps support on WP7.8 looks bleak, IMHO as a developer.

This is bad for existing customers. You will get a bit of window dressing but the core feature which is native code is missing. So apps will be easier to be ported from other systems but you won't be able to run them. The excuse that existing devices can't run win8 is BS. The iPhone 3GS can run iOS5 and thats single core with 256mb of memory. Microsoft has shafted it's customers again.

Exactly. The only thing you can say is that it is unfortunate that they chose to change the kernel but if it has to be done, I'd rather have it sooner than later. No matter at which point they did it, changing the kernel would always be a pita but all in all I think current users are off just fine.

Man!!! MS should have supported at least 2nd Gen WP devices with 1.4+GHz processors.
Also so far no mention of some kind of notification center, so all missed notifications of not tiled apps can be seen.
MS, listen to the users!!!
// chall3ng3r //

Unless they come up with a way for my Lumia 900 to keep getting new apps, no I'm not satisfied. I've been using WP7 since the day the HD7 launched on T-Mobile, and now my Lumia 900, which will be approx. 6 months old when WP8 comes out, will likely not get any additional updates beyond 7.8 and will see few new apps. Why did I leave Android again?

This isn't being an entitled brat. This is watching the "ecosystem" getting splintered into people with a robust app selection to a dead end ecosystem. That screeching halt you heard, was development for Windows CE/7.5 apps. Micrsoft could always compound their mistake by throwing good money after bad money to try to keep 7.5's ecosystem on life support but what company is stupid enough to do that?

Why did you buy a lumia so soon? I've had my HD7 since launch and still have it. Know why? Because I know the hardware our phones have can only do so much and I knew by the time WP8 came out that I would want a device that could support everything it had to offer.

With the exception of the screen size there's not really anything in the hardware requirements for Window 8 on ARM that isn't in my HTC HD7 or Lumia 800. So why WP8 needs new hardware's a bit of a mystery.

As a developer I've now got two different Windows Phone platforms to support. Since WinRT and Silverlight have less in common than MS would have you think. I think the current updates in work for my apps will be the last on WP7 & I'll focus on W8 & WP8.

Meh. As an omnia 7 user I am not too upset. Had I taken the plunge on a lumia 900 I might feel a bit more aggrieved. But then this was to be expected right? I will wait for next gen windows phones before upgrading.

What it seemingly comes down to is the single processor. In theory, 7.8 would be fair for 1st gen devices such as my Omnia7 but not for 2nd gen such as the Lumia range. Sadly this won't be the case. I will buy a new WP8 but it is nice to know whoever I give my Omnia7 to will get a good experience; those who have 2nd gen phones, I think you're right to feel a little aggrieved.

I imagine now we can watch all the momentum with the Lumias fall off a cliff until WP8 hits. I wasnt expecting a full upgrade for my Lumia but was hoping for everything that wasnt hardware dependent. Oh well I was planning on getting a new phone once WP8 hit anyway.
I agree could have still called it WP8 lite or something for the upgrade.

No one EVER said the 1st & 2nd Gen devices were getting the upgrade. if you ae pissed off because you bought a Lumia 900 "hoping" it would get WP8, then you are a fool. I bought one, knowing it wouldnt get WP8, but its a great phone, and when my contract renews, guess what, i will get the latest and greatest WP phone at that time...
Just be glad that we are getting an upgrade, we could be like Android and take a year to roll it out, or not get it at all.

This is hardly a major update. This is cosmetic config file changes, sorry support a lot of Unix machines at work, to wp7.5 to just look like wp8. There is absolutely no under the hood work for CE. Titan 1& 2, Lumia 710,800, 900 and the current Samsung phones are dead ends.

The solution that nobody wants to hear is to not take the discounted price and subsidize the cost of your phone over a 24 month contract. Your $199 (now $99) Lumia 900 was/is really a $600 or $700 device. It's not MS's fault the entire cost model for purchasing cell phones was botched from the start...blame the carriers for that.

I think MSFT can go a long way by pushing 7.8 much sooner than WP8 since it doesn't require the hardware upgrades/changes. This will probably make current users (myself included) happier and if I really like what I see I'll bite the bullet (who am I kidding, I'm doing it anyway...) and upgrade contract free for a WP8 device.
I do however find it a terrible marketing strategy to push the Lumia 900 as heavy as Nokia, MSFT and AT&T did while also stating it will be obsolete in less than 8 months time. A flagship phone should be a phone that performs optimally for the length of a contract.

Just because you CAN upgrad to WP7.8 doesn't necessarily mean AT&T is going to LET you upgrade to it! I know they're no longer supporting a LOT of WP7 devices, so it's just a matter of months before the Titan II and Lumia are tossed aside by them.
Sounds like the long-time WP users are getting a little screwed over on this deal.

Sounds good to me. We will still be able to run WP8 apps so long as they don't use native code, and of course we can't take advantage of new features based on new hardware.
Nobody should be disappointed really. They've brought WP 7.x devices up to par as much as possible to WP8.

I think you're underestimating what apps can't run in WP7.8. In addition to DirectX games written in native code, apps that are written for the WinRT API (the API for Metro apps) will also not run on WP7.8. This means most new apps will not run on WP7.8 because developers will choose the newer API which supports code sharing between WP8 and Win8, vs the legacy Silverlight API which only runs on WP7.x.
A good portion of existing WP7.x apps will likely update to take advantage of new tile sizes. But IMO the devs will soon focus development on WinRT.

Is this definitely the case? I would have expected 7.8 will include support for apps written in .net using the later environment, just excluding specific featured and native code. Just postulating though.

http://www.wpcentral.com/microsoft-officially-announces-windows-phone-8 Daniel Rubino clearly writes (and I quote) "Moreover, applications for Windows Phone 7.x will automatically run on Windows Phone 8 with little or no changes to the code of the app. Apps coded on Windows Phone 8 will conversely run on Windows Phone 7.x as well so long as they don’t use native coding"

The only biG problem I see, is current users not being able to run native apps. When the big name apps start showing up, people who bought their phone today (2yr) contract, will not be able to play those games four/five months from now when they are released. This is the only big problem I see. All the new big games will keep showing "your device is not supported" on phones they buy today and up until wp8 is released.

What features do we get exactly? Do we get ye new maps and turn by turn at least? I really feel shafted. Probably get an iPhone next time seeing how ios 6 still supports all the way up to the 3GS, apple has better legacy support than MS. I think Microsoft should offer a 100$ credit to recent purchasers of Windows Phone for sticking them in this situation.

That's not what's being reported by Paul Thurrott today (one of the original people who reported months ago that no existing devices will get the upgrade)... He's specifically saying only new Start Screen, tile sizes, and Windows Update (no more carrier blocking updates) will come to WP7.8.

Haha my 2year contract runs out november-October some time so I think it works out well for me :P sorry other people! And it was obviously going to be something like this we all knew duel core ect. Was coming so obviously we weren't going to be able to run everything WP8 could so im happy that they at least gave us that new awesome home screen among other things no doubt and don't forget people its still more love than people that have bought apple products receive when an upgrade is released haha :P

How do you figure this? When the iPhone 4S came out with iOS 5, the iPhone 4 and 3GS were able to update to iOS 5, as well. True, the older hardware didn't get Siri, but there was a 16 month gap between the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S. Estimates are that there will be a seven month gap between the Lumia 900/Titan II and a Windows Phone 8.
To me, it seems like Apple users get the love while Windows users got the door with a nice wave (home-screen change, really?!) bye-bye.

Like you said, older hardware didn't get everything out of the update. And the reason iPhone 4 didn't get Siri wasn't even hardware related! The only thing current phones will be missing out on (excluding support for new hardware features, duh) are apps written using native code but that's actually also a hardware problem so there is not much anybody can do about it. Yes it sucks but it would always suck, no matter when they would have done it. What did you expect, that they wouldn't release or even sell any phones for a year so that no people feel left out? No matter when they had done it, there would alwas have been people who would have just bought a phone, just like there probably are people you will buy an iPhone 4s a month before the iPhone 5 is released. They had to do it sometime, better to do it now than later.

Precisely why I have not upgraded my V1 WP7 Focus to this point. I suspected based on the fact that they would not come out and say they would upgrade all phones that they would not be completing a full upgrade to the current line of users.
Anyone who is disappointed though to me should probably check those emotions because WP7.5 is already sexy and smooth and what we saw this morning looks awesome for the start screen etc in WP8. I bet there will still be tons of apps for current handset users who eventually upgrade to 7.8.
Enjoy the ride everyone!!!

Im excited for the changes and I think its definately fair. I just love my phone and missing out on a few games is the least of my worries. Cant wait to resize tiles, more color options, and Im sure optimised code that will only make my device that much better!

Except it won't be a few games, it will be pretty much ALL games and likely the vast majority of other apps too. You see that Chase app in the demonstration? Yeah, you probably won't be getting that either.

Satisfied :D but I don't count I bought my lumia 900 outright and still have my upgrade coming at the end of the year but I won't upgrade till next April to keep the 2 year mark from my Samsung focus phone so Dan I'm pleased with windows/Microsoft ideas and support :D keep up the flawless work wer keepn up on the reading

Lol did you even read the article? Gen 1 and Gen 1.5 get the 7.8 update, also if your going to downgrade to android go do it, instead of bringing your problems here, good day to you sir I look forward to you inevitable return to WP :P

I wasn't aware you could root ICS ROMs onto 1st gen Android devices. Or even 2nd gen Android devices, for that matter. Hmmm, IIRC, even some 3rd gen Android devices can't get ICS. What was your point again?

Obviously the lack of hardware support means some features would be impossible on current devices. The lack of ability to run native apps/games is a pretty big blow since they used native development as a way to justify why big name apps/games haven't come out yet. Now we won't get them anyway until we get a new phone.

I don't like the gutterless Start screen. The numbers on small tiles run into the right-side edge of the tile (there was an image of an outlook tile with 80 messages). The normal-sized tiles appear larger now to fill in the gutter which means you can't fit as many normal-sized tiles height-wise on the screen at once.

I understand why they're making these changes, but it's happening at the cost of damaging the design aesthetic. It just looks sloppy.

Yeah, a spiffy new interface, new Maps, and (maybe) the Wallet sans NFC.

What we're not getting:

New apps. How many new apps do you think will be written for WP7 once WP8 comes out? Not many is my prediction. I'm sure there will be some but the vast majority are going to be written to WP8 (how many new WP6.x apps were written when WP7 came out?). Sorry guys. I hope everyone likes the apps they have because within a few months they won't be getting any new ones. Really sucks. We'll have to sit there and watch while our iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, AND BB users get to play with cool new apps while we sit here playing with a 3 year old version of Angry Birds.

Sorry but the situation with WM6 was completely different. As long as you don't use native code or any special new hardware (e.g. a specific nfc app) will be able to run on WP7.8. Haven't you read one of the other articles? It litteraly states: "applications for Windows Phone 7.x will automatically run on Windows Phone 8 with little or no changes to the code of the app. Apps coded on Windows Phone 8 will conversely run on Windows Phone 7.x as well so long as they don’t use native coding" (- Daniel Rubino) so what you are saying is just not correct.

They could just as easily have not bothered calling it 7.8 and just said 8 minus certain features and this would have been a non-issue. It's really no different than older iPhones not getting features in a new iOS release. The 4 doesn't have Siri and that wasn't even due to a hardware limitation.

This is more about the SDK used. iPhone apps written with, say, the 5.0 SDK won't run on an iPhone 3G (iOS 4.1.2 is the last version available for it). But, developers can use XCode to make an app for 4.1.2 (or earlier), to ensure a wider audience, so long as they don't need any new features the newer SDK affords (often providing access to new hardware or software features).
The same thing applies here - Visual Studio will still let developers build apps for WP7.5 (and 7.8) - and Microsoft said at the conference they recommend most apps should continue to be built with XML & C#. If a developer doesn't have to use a new hardware feature, there's no real harm in compiling for last-gen devices, and they'd be smart to do that as they'll have a wider audience to consume their product.
Granted, we'll probably not see the same influx of games for WP7.8 due to the lack of C/C++ support, but many games are developed in XNA and will still support current devices.
Semi-related example: The developer of SpellTower on iOS released it using the 5.0 SDK - I couldn't install it on my iPhone 3G, and contacted him (along with others) - and he was nice enough to update the app (which didn't rely on anything special in iOS5) so I could buy it and run it on my older device. I'd think a similar situation would apply to existing WinPhone devices.

now that's a good explanation :) I also think the situation is not as bad as most people make it out to be. They have said that there will probably be other things included in 7.8 so I'm guessing it will bring everything from 8 that our current hardware is capable of.

I'm still holding out for more memory, or flexible memory like I have in the original Focus. To me storage is the most important feature; no need to upgrade until a new model offers parity with what I have today. Or despite my other issues with it, my next phone could be Android after all.

I have mixed feelings about this, I love the new start screen UI, and am happy were getting that, I'm a little upset about not getting the new kernel so the windows phone 8 apps won't work. Then again I don't really use apps that often so I don't care that much.
Its a good compromise, and by the time I start caring about new apps not working I'll be able to upgrade.

What sense does it make to be upset that you're not getting the Win8 kernel? It won't run on existing WP7 devices anyway. MS can't give you something in an update that your hardware cannot run.
Overall, I agree that this is a very good compromise. It's more than I was expecting, that's for sure.

And you do realise your iPhone or Android will be legacy once they announce their new OS version? This is how the smartphone world works. It moves fast. If you want to keep up you have dish the cash, otherwise be happy with what you got and when you can upgrade you get the latest and greatest at that time.

The update seems okay, but I had been somewhat hopeful of them bringing at least some more sophisticated networking options to the device. I figured the update might allow me to access my corporate network (EAPS-TTLS that can be accessed by every other mobile os on the market) and the way it looks I might have to look for a different phone for that reason :-(.

Does 7.8 include a screen orientation lock?! I will not be happy with Windows Phone until I get that "feature".
Part of me is fine with the 7.8 update and part of me thinks that it's crazy that a phone that came out in April 2012 is given "legacy" status in June 2012. Even Android hardware is current for longer than two months.

Believe it not, I liked the off center "gutter" look, but no biggie. What I am worries about, is what is going to happen to those of us with phones from companies that sold us lemons and ran and hid because they didn't want to deal with it, aka The Dell Venue Pro. So, since Dell is no longer selling or supporting the Venue Pro, does that mean no 7.8?

It does a lot for the tiles. If you remove it and scale the columns to fill the space there would only be room for about 3⅓ rows, and I think cutting that much off the bottom row would have looked really bad.

Off-centering and slight asymmetry are very aesthetically pleasing believe it or not.Take a random picture of somebody's face, cut one half off and mirror the other half so you get a perfectly symmetrical face. You will see that that face looks just weird. That being said, eventhough I like the gutter, I like the new homescreen as well, it does a better job at conveying the illusion that there is a wall of information and you just focus on some part of it through your screen.

stopped watching stream.
Had a HD7 since launch in UK, then upgraded (upgraded is a joke word in this instance) to a lumia 900
absolutely shafted, Lumia 900, 1 month old, now a legacy device, waste of fu(king money (2 year contract, MS should be hung up for pushing lumias onto people when they are outdated within a month).

iOS and android owners will be pi$$ing themselves at WP early adopters

I know right?
Didn't you know that something you loved yesterday suddenly sucks and is a piece of junk if something new is announced?
It's hilarious to watch the idiot consumer sheep getting all worked up in a lather about this. All the entitlement and personal offense. Like Nokia insulted their mothers. So ridiculous. It's business people, get over it. Stuff has to be updated sometime. No one owes you endless update compatibility. The line has to be drawn somewhere. I have a Lumia 900 and I'm not crying like a little baby with a full diaper over this. My phone is just as awesome as it was the day before the announcement. It's not a big deal.
I have a phone I love, which was FREE in my case, thanks to Nokia's generous refund, but was still a bargain at $99. Now I just found out I'm getting a really nice software update with a cooler start screen. I'm super happy about that. The world is not going to end just because I can't upgrade this phone to WP8. It's going to take the length of my contract before there are even a significant number of WP8 apps out to take advantage of anyway.
So I'll enjoy the phone I have until then. Let them work the bugs out of WP8 and let the developers start to get their feet wet. By the time my contact is up, WP8 will be well vetted and there will actually be some apps for it and Nokia will probably have had time to make a pureview Lumia by then.
Until then, excuse me if I don't join the whining baby parade, I'm too busy enjoying what I've already got.

Chillax. The phone is just announced. Nobody can buy it yet. So enjoy the Lumia and all the Nokia apps. By the time WP8 comes out, you won't have long to wait before you can renegotiate with your carrier.

I'm on my 2nd WP now (NL900) and was hoping with the update the screen resolution would be addressed - I thought surely this feature-packed phone had the ability for better video playback resolution than what it has. I read that it was limited by the OS so with an OS upgrade I was SURE that while some things wouldn't be possible this would. So, just got new phone and now for 2 years I get to watch everyone else have the good stuff. Thanks WP.

Exactly. It's like buying a new car one year and the next year a newer model comes out with a better feature.
Firmware upgrades/updates is software, but hardware updates just isn't possible. And for those who don't read phone blogs, then this really won't matter to them, now will it?
They'll receive an update and think it's the best thing in the world.

Don't mean to pile on, but that's the same thing as being disappointed because the upgrade won't turn your black 900 into a magenta 900. A software update cannot change the hardware into something it isn't.

A lot of people don't read blogs about phones, so they didn't (probably still don't) know what Apollo is, but still bought new WP7 phones recently due to the hyping of the 900s. They don't even know yet that their new phone is now EOL'd.